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Mazda To Recall 190,000 SUVs Over ‘Dangerous Steering Control Defect’

By Bradley Ryder
Published on: 07:18 PST, Aug 27, 2016

Mazda Motor Corporation joins two other automakers in a growing trend of automobile defects that affect the public. According to a News4Jax report, the Japanese automobile manufacturer issued a recall for more than 190,000 SUVs due to a recently discovered steering defect.

The Mazda recall is limited to the CX-7 sport utility vehicle. Affected years are between 2007 and 2014 with manufacture dates between February 14, 2006, through May 9, 2012.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (or NHTSA) sent a letter to Mazda acknowledging its intent to recall 190,102 vehicles over loss of steering concerns. Apparently, the focus of the recall is on the front suspension. If water comes into contact with the ball joint fittings, steering could likely be compromised.

Officials are moving ahead with the CX-7 recall ahead of the winter season, especially in areas that historically have accumulating snowfall. Salt dispersed from Department of Transportation and municipal vehicles can lead to corrosion of the ball joint fittings. If this mechanism fails, a driver has little or no steering upon failure.

Mazda says the remedy is to replace defective parts, according to Consumerist. A PDF (NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V-593) outlines the recall and scope of the North American Operations.

“Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front lower control arms, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. Mazda will send interim notices to owners beginning around October 10, 2016. Follow-up notices will be sent when remedy parts are available. As a priority, Mazda will first address all affected 2007-2008 vehicles as well as 2009-2011 vehicles currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia. West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.”

Mazda added that it will call all remaining customers when parts become available for their specific model’s year. As reported earlier, two other high-profile manufacturers are involved in a slew of recalls over several malfunctioning components.

In 2014, GM came under fire when it recalled tens of millions of cars over a faulty ignition switch. Claimants sued the American automaker for allegedly knowing about the dangers of the potential stalling from the defective device, but failing to warn consumers, according to a federal class action lawsuit.

In July, NBC News wrote about a court’s ruling that opened up GM to billions of dollars in death and injury claims stemming from the ignition switch recall. A judge issued an opinion on a motion by GM, which it accused of basically asking to be rewarding for alleged unlawful behavior.

“The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan on Wednesday ruled that GM knew about the defective switches when it entered bankruptcy seven years ago but kept them secret from the bankruptcy court. By failing to disclose the problems, GM prevented crash victims from making claims or contesting the bankruptcy provisions, robbing them of due process, the court ruled.”

In June, Honda expanded its current Takata airbag recall by some 2.2 million vehicles, reported Car and Driver. The Honda Accord automaker joined other car manufacturers in 2013 when reports surfaced of deaths and injuries attributed to a faulty inflator on the front-side frontal airbags. The expansion brings the total Honda vehicles recalled to over 10 million.

Reportedly, Honda has the most vehicles involved in the massive recall. Moreover, only one of the reported deaths that are connected to the defective airbags did not involved Honda. Over 2,000 Honda motorcycles are included in the current recall.

A note to customers affected by the Mazda recall over steering: “Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.”

[Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images]

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